Assuming the Supreme Court does not reverse a law requiring to TikTok to divest itself of Chinese ownership, The Information is reporting that TikTok is planning on shutting down its U.S. service this Sunday, even though the law only restricts app stores from distributing TikTok's app. More here. 

According to The Washington Post, president-elect Donald Trump is considering issuing an executive order to delay the enforcement of the TikTok ban. More here. 

In a televised farewell address tonight, President Biden warned Americans about AI as well as "the potential rise of a tech industrial complex." Business Insider has more here. 

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By Charles Rollet

An uproar with a popular Kindle competitor e-reader has showcased how the use of Chinese AI models in U.S. products could unwittingly spread Chinese propaganda.

A large language model (LLM) made by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance was used by an e-reader called Boox, according to screenshots about the AI shared on Reddit. When asked questions about China and its allies, this LLM spouted Chinese government propaganda, sparking an outcry from users, according to the post and TechCrunch’s interactions with this LLM.

The LLM in question was ByteDance’s Doubao, which is offered as an API under ByteDance’s cloud services division Volcano Engine. But the model is only meant to be used within China’s mainland, a ByteDance spokesperson told TechCrunch. The e-reader’s China-based manufacturer, Onyx International, which sells Boox e-readers in both China and to the U.S., did not respond to requests for comment.

Boox launched the AI assistant feature last summer. In December 2024, a user posted on a subreddit for e-readers that the new assistant was generating Chinese government propaganda in response to certain questions. For example, the AI assistant denied China ever having any “so-called massacres” in answer to a question about why it refused to discuss the Tiananmen Square crackdown, a screenshot shows.

The AI assistant also refused to say anything critical about North Korea and Russia, claiming North Korea is a “peace-loving country” and that “Russia’s role in Syria has been positive,” the screenshots show. In contrast, the AI assistant was happy to criticize Western countries, noting that French colonialism “often involved exploitation of local resources and native populations.” In the screenshots shared on Reddit, the assistant states that it is “an AI created by ByteDance, an international technology company.”

More here.

Amogy, a five-year-old Brooklyn startup whose technology converts ammonia into clean energy for heavy-duty transportation sectors, including maritime shipping and power generation, raised a $56 million round co-led by Aramco Ventures and SV Investment, with Samsung Heavy Industries, BHP Ventures, Hanwha Investment & Securities, AFW Partners, Quantum Ventures Korea, Kibo Invest, and Seoul IP as well as previous investors Temasek, MOL Switch, Yanmar Ventures, AP Ventures, and Marunouchi Innovation Partners also taking part. More here.

Colossal Biosciences, a four-year-old Dallas startup that is focused on using genetic engineering to revive extinct species such as the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and dodo bird, raised a $200 million Series C round at a $10.2 billion valuation. TWG Global led the investment. TechCrunch has more here.

Harbinger, a four-year-old Los Angeles startup that manufactures electric medium-duty vehicle platforms such as chassis and powertrains for commercial vehicles like delivery trucks and RVs, raised a $100 million Series B round co-led by Capricorn and Leitmotif, with Tiger Global, Coca-Cola, ArcTern Ventures, Thor Industries, TechNexus, Ridgeline, Maniv Mobility, Ironspring Ventures, Schematic Ventures, and Overture Climate also piling on. TechCrunch has more here.

Loft Orbital, a nine-year-old San Francisco startup that provides space infrastructure services that enable organizations to deploy and operate payloads in space without needing to build or manage satellites themselves, raised a $170 million Series C round led by Tikehau Capital, with Bpifrance, Foundation Capital, Temasek, Supernova Invest, and Tribeca Venture Partners also participating. The company has raised a total of $300+ million. TechCrunch has more here.

Nelly, a five-year-old Berlin startup that helps medical practices by enabling patients to use their smartphones for tasks like registration and payments, raised a $51.4 million Series B round led by Cathay Innovation, with Notion Capital as well as previous investors b2venture, Lakestar, Motive Ventures, and Arc Investors also contributing. TechCrunch has more here.

Stoke Space, a six-year-old startup based in Kent, WA, that aims to develop the world's first fully reusable rocket, including both the booster and second stage, raised a $260 million Series C round from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Glade Brook Capital Partners, Industrious Ventures, Point72 Ventures, Seven Seven Six, and Y Combinator. The company has raised a total of $480 million. TechCrunch has more here. 

Synthesia, an eight-year-old London startup that creates realistic videos featuring AI-generated human presenters for corporate training, marketing, and communications, raised a $180 million at a $2.1 billion valuation. The deal was led by NEA, with additional participation from World Innovation Lab, Atlassian Ventures, and PSP Growth as well as previous investors GV, MMC Ventures, and FirstMark. TechCrunch has more here.